Neurodevelopmental disorders, dental fear, and caries among children and adolescents in specialty dentistry care: a crosssectional study

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ABSTRACT

Aim

To assess the prevalence and relationship between dental fear, neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), and caries among children and adolescents referred to a dental clinic with specialist paediatric dentists.

Results

Among the patients, 20.9% had any NDD, 16.3% had autism, 10.2% had ADHD, and 68.8% had dental fear. Patients with dental fear had significantly higher score of Decayed, Missing, and Filled Surfaces (dmfs/DMFS) (mean score 8.08 ± 9.85) compared to patients without dental fear (mean score 4.35 ± 6.93, t(189.58) = -3.28, p = 0.001). There was no association between NDD and caries or dental fear.

Conclusion

Neurodevelopmental disorders were overrepresented among specialty dentistry patients in this study, with a ten-fold increase of autism prevalence compared to the general population. Dental fear is associated with increased caries compared to patients without dental fear. Knowledge of best practice of dental treatment for NDD and dental anxiety is a crucial skill for all dentistry professions.

Study Design

Cross-sectional study involving children and adolescent referred to a dental clinic with specialists in pediatric dentistry. The sample included all patients aged 7-19 years who visited the clinic during 2022 and had a completed health declaration. Dental fear among child and parent, diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism, caries, age and gender were extracted from medical records. Data was summarised to show relationships between study variables and to allow comparison to general population.

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